My First Post

Hello all,

Just in case you do not know me, my name is Jeff Yeager, and I will be the President of the Concord University Student Government Association in the fall. If I would have thought that I would be saying those words a year ago, I would have thought that I was a bit crazy considering that I was aware of the stress of the job after watching President Cook's administration as a Senator, but here I am. Over the course of the past year, the Student Government Association has suffered several setbacks, and this is not entirely the past administration's fault. The previous administration (under which I served as Attorney General) was merely the victim of a faulty ideology that has plagued SGA over the past several years--that is, the infamous "Country Club". Instead of being an organization dedicated to helping the students, the Student Government has been mainly led by people focused on helping themselves or focused on helping a small group of people. Students have recognized this, and the fact that I, a person who has primarily been an advocate for progress over the past few years, was elected proves this point entirely. Change is coming.

I wanted to use my first post to tell how excited I am about the leadership team that has been elected by the students that are assembled as well as those whom I appointed to various posts in my first day in office. Vice President Akeya Carter Bozman has always been a solid advocate for the students. As a Senator and as the representative to the Board of Governors, she has always looked to what is best for students. Her passion and zeal will undoubtedly lead to great things as the Vice President as she plans Homecoming, Spring Fling, as well as making sure that all of our committees run effectively.

I am also excited about working with Business Manager Belcher. Although we oftentimes disagreed last year in the Senate over various issues, including when he got appointed to Vice President without the Senate's consent, I have developed a great deal of respect for Matt. He and I both agree that the rather hefty officer pay needs to be cut, and we have already polled all of the officers about cuts, and they are all fine with it. Considering that we may have made a few errors in evaluating those cuts, we will look at them again before the fall starts. I also plan on working with him closely to insure that the Budgetary Process this year runs a little bit more smoothly in the hope of not having a 8 to 9 hour long meeting.

Attorney General Lewis will undoubtedly give good insight in his role as AG. I believe that Bill realizes that the AG is a very powerful position in that it does more than prosecute cases. I know that Bill will do much more for reform than most in that role before him. I hope that he will help to revaluate Judicial Reform as well as further ethical reform. I'm also looking forward to seeing how he will bring his own unique fire and zeal to that role, especially considering one of the most boring guys on campus (points finger) held that job last year.

Board of Governors Representative Kearns will also do a great job as the Board rep. He and I have also not always agreed politically, but that has never stopped us from working together as a team. We will both work hard to insure that your tuition is not raised so highly this year, and we will make Dr. Aloia and the administration crunch numbers and we will make sure that this university is accountable for every dollar. As a team, we will both be a force to be reckoned with, pardon the cliche.

Secretary Lopez will also undoubtedly do well in his role. Based on what I have seen from him so far, he is very serious about his position, and I am sure that the Senate will tell a big difference in the efficiency of that job this year compared to last. He will also be a solid voice to the Executive. Gavin Ward has a solid knowledge of Parliamentary Procedure based on his time in SGA as well as his taking the course from Dr. Brichford. He will undoubtedly be an asset to me in helping to keep the Senate running efficiently. No one can say enough about Ombudsman Keys, who has done a magnificent job over the past few years. I look forward to working with her again.

With this team, the Yeager Administration WILL bring change to this campus for the greater good. We are a diverse group of people who have not always been on the same page, but I can promise you, we are all on that level now. With strong leadership, we hope to make the SGA a credible institution again by restoring its integrity to both the students and the administration so that we will be a completely legitimate voice on this campus. As your President, I pledge to be your advocate, your voice, and most importantly--a leader for the rest of the government to follow. As I lead this diverse team of smart, capable students who all are capable of great things together as a unified whole for the betterment of this campus, great things will come. To do this, I will always need your patience but at the same time this administration always needs constructive criticism as well in order to know what it is doing is right.